Wynter (A Snow White Retelling)

Awakened

She heard Cyrus's voice first.

Wynter tried to open her eyes, but the light was blinding. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Voices were whispering all around her, but she didn't understand any of them. Her head throbbed behind her eyes as she tried again to open her eyes, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the light.

Cyrus's worry stricken face was the first thing she saw.

Wynter smiled at him. "I knew you would wake me."

She sat up and kissed him, and she heard people cheer. She pulled back, suddenly aware of all the people watching them. Her cheeks grew warm, and Cyrus grinned. He held out his hand, and she took it, allowing him to help her out of the coffin and onto her feet.

"Your Highness," a lord stepped forward, "how did this happen to you?"

Wynter's eyes fell on her stepmother, and her smile faded. "The queen poisoned me in an attempt to make her son your king."

"Lies!" Lucinda laughed, but Wynter saw fear in her stepmother's eyes. "You have no proof of this!"

"Yes, we do," said Doc. He moved through the crowd, joining them, and held up a wooden chest. "This was found in the queen's bed chamber. Inside are ingredients and recipes for various potions." Doc looked to Cyrus, who nodded for him to continue. "The queen threatened to kill my son if I didn't help her finish the potion so that her son could wake the princess. I agreed, but I switched the ingredients so that only true love's kiss could wake her." Doc held up a small vial for the silent crowd to see. "I also found a slow-acting poison that gives the appearance of heart failure. I found this same poison in our beloved king's body just before he was buried."

The crowd erupted in shouts of "murderer" and "traitor."

Wynter looked to Lucinda to see her reaction, and she saw the once proud woman looked very small.

"Arrest them!" the crowd demanded.

The guards looked to Wynter for orders. She nodded. "Arrest them for murder and treason."

"On whose authority? I am the queen!" Lucinda shouted. She struggled against the guards to no avail.

"Wynter is the only one with a rightful claim to the throne," said Cyrus.

"No! I am queen!"

"Give it up, Mother," Andrew snapped.

"I will never give up until I see you crowned as king!" Lucinda shouted as the guards escorted her away. Wynter could still hear her shouting even after she left the room.

Wynter hung her head. She held out hope that her stepmother would find love, even at the very end. She felt sorry for her stepmother and stepbrother, and she wondered how much Lucinda would make Andrew suffer while they are locked up together.

Wynter looked up at Doc and Cyrus. "How did you—"

"The prince doesn't know the difference between rosemary and thyme, let alone countless other ingredients," said Doc. "It was easy to make the switch without him knowing."

Cyrus pulled Wynter closer to him. "While the queen was occupied with you, Alfred and Christopher escaped from the infirmary and freed Doc, Shai, and me from our cells. Doc and Shai retrieved the box of potions, and I got to save the princess."

Wynter smiled at them. "Thank you all." Wynter looked around Doc to Shai who was standing off to the side. "And thank you, Shai, for being so brave." He shyly nodded his head in acknowledgement, and Wynter saw the smile of pride he tried to hide.

Wynter looked up at the crowd and realized that there were hundreds of eyes still watching her. They were all looking to her for leadership and direction. Her smile faded, and she suddenly felt as if a large weight had been placed on her shoulders. Her legs felt like they would collapse any moment and her hands were shaking.

"You can do this," Cyrus whispered in her ear. "I know you can."

Wynter faced the crowd and swallowed hard. "It is with a heavy heart that I sentence my stepmother and stepbrother to prison. It will be up to our court to decide their fate. I promise that I will strive to be a just queen who prevents people like them from destroying our land and people. If you'll have me."

"What about the huntsman?" a duchess asked.

"Cyrus, Doc, Shai, and Alfred and Christopher all played a part in saving me and exposing the queen's schemes," said Wynter. "They will all be honored before all of our people."

"But will the huntsman be king?"

"I...I don't..." Wynter looked to Cyrus for an explanation. His cheeks were red, and she was sure hers were blushing too.

"Lucinda said whoever could wake you would be made king," said Cyrus.

Wynter grinned but then tried to hide it. "Is that what you all want?" she asked the nobles. "Would the kingdom accept a huntsman as their king?"

No one spoke up. She kept her gaze on them, looking directly at each individual. Many of them looked away.

As Wynter's heart began to sink, a grey bearded lord stepped forward and knelt in front of them. "It would be an honor to serve a king who has faithfully served your father and saved you. I believe he will do your father proud."

Tears welled up in Wynter's eyes. "Thank you for saying that."

Another lord and lady bowed done on one knee. Three more people followed suit, and soon the whole room was kneeling before them.

"All hail the king and queen!" said the crowd.

Wynter turned to Cyrus who embraced her and spun her around. He kissed her, and this time she wasn't embarrassed.

They no longer had to keep their love for each other secret. They would be married, and they would spend the rest of their lives together ruling the kingdom.

Her father would have been proud.